User Ratings & Reviews

Boring Belgian, had at Clark's Ale House in Syracuse. Very yeasty, medicinal. Dark colour. Mouthfeel above average, but still unsatisfying. Not too sweet other than the yeast, not getting much spices, though licorice and chocolate malt.Coca-cola like.

this is one of those beers i got wasted and sick drinking too many of years ago and have unfairly sworn off ever since. i revisited it yesterday and have to say, ive really been misssing out. this is an exceptional beer, totally different from the countless generic winter beers out there now. the pours is dark dark brown, but not thick or heavy looking, light still passes through, and there is a smallish off white head around for just a few seconds before it flattens out. the nose is really odd, smokey but not quite at that rauch level. there is also belgian yeast and candy sugar present, making this more of a dubbel than an amber in my book, but its more than that. there is that life and limb birch syrup smell and taste as well, which doesnt come across as very sweet here, but it adds a lot of depth to the aroma and flavor. its woody in taste, oaky, kind of drinks like and old ale, but this is certainly a curious mishmash of styles. complex malt profile on the medium to heavy roast side, but tempered by a very vibrant belgian yeast strain. the alcohol content is just right for these cold dark months, and the light carbonation combined with the fuller body make this is nice winter beer that sticks to your guts in all the right ways. one of ithacas best seasonals.

A: The beer is slightly hazy brownish amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high beige colored head that died down rather quickly, leaving a large patch of bubbles on the surface and a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are lots of earthy aromas of yeast in the nose.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has flavors of earthy yeast and lots of malts (but without any associated sweetness) and hints of dark fruits. Peppery spices are evident in the finish. No bitterness is noticeable.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation. There is a bit of dryness in the finish.
O: The beer hides any traces of alcohol very well but would be a lot more drinkable if it had some malty sweetness.

Very sweet taste from beginning to end. Sugar coated plumbs, figs, dates, grapes, raisons, cherries, and apples make a dramatic and flavorful first impression. The beer never turns but as the sweetness subsides, there's a real lack of pilner malt breadiness in support, allowing the beer to finish with a soda pop sugary taste. The alcohols and spices weave together for a varying display of flavors. Still, the lack of malt allows the grain flavors and light acidity to rise in the finish.

Bold and creamy at first, but as the carbonation falls, the body becomes increasingly heavy, weighted and mildly syrupy. Grain textures come into play as the sweetness fades into alcohol and spice. A bit bitey in the end could be of spices or hops.

Cold Front has some pleasantries early on, but the beer becomes messy once the lack of malt flavor and body becomes evident. It's kinda like having all the best Christmas ornaments, but the tree is in shambles.

Appearance: Pours a clear amber color with a rather modest head for a Belgian style beer; a reasonable number of dots linger on the tulip's side

Smell: Caramel, powdered sugar, banana and spice cake elements

Taste: Opens malt-forward, with the caramel, but an odd assortment of spices build through the middle; there is some banana and spice cake but also a cherry medicinal aspect that lingers well through the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: I would characterize this as Belgian-influenced rather than Belgian-style and, while I rather enjoyed the beer, I was not fond of the medicinal taste; the mouthfeel was very American and not at all in the Belgian manner

I was expecting a much lighter beer, being called an "amber" ale, but it is Belgian and I guess made for winter-ish time. It forms a creamy and fizzy 1 finger head that fades at a medium pace, over very dark chocolate brown colored beer.

The taste comes more with porter like flavors. Some roasted malt, a hint of chocolate again, some toasty malts, dark Belgian malts still, touch of toffee. More sugar as well, a little candi sugar, touch of molasses, and caramel malts. Some fruit too, little raisin and other dried dark fruits. SOme sweetness with a touch of warming booze. I also get a little coffee, the fresh coffee flavor with a little acidity and juicy coffee taste. It finishes with a little roasted malt minerality, and a little bitterness coming out on the finish too. A touch of a sticky feel at the end, and some lingering candi sugar, and toffee.

The mouth is medium body with some syrupy feel and decent carbonation. Long syrupy sticky finish too.

The drinkability is a little lower, but OK for the style at least. It has quite a bit of sweetness and syrupy tastes, and sticky finish, and drinks a little warm for only 7.2%. It's a definite winter or late fall cold day to sip, perhaps by a fire, or while cuddling with a loved one.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of Belgian yeast, wheat, dark fruit and dark malts.

T: The taste is sweet with flavors of dark fruit and some spices. Then some wheat and Belgian yeast breadiness that come in next. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy. The hops presence is mild very mild but still brings a good balance. The after-taste is bready and slightly sweet.

Pretty decent. Had on tap in December, so I figured it was a winter warmer, and it wasn't, but it was vaguely similar.

Poured a slightly hazy mahogany brown with a small head that dissipated quickly. Caramel malts in the nose with some essence of dark fruits. The taste was mostly caramel malts up front, light sugar, and some dark fruits and spices in there, but not very distinctive. Medium body and a bit of film left in the mouth. Decent and moderately drinkable.

Slightly sour with biting bitterness that comes from nondescript hops. The alcohol is notable and warming. The yeast shows up on the tongue. Dark malts are present but not strong. Body is thin as is the carbonation level.

Rust orange with so much carbonation that a massive crown of soft and fluffy foam was a foregone conclusion. Actually, there aren't *that* many visible bubbles, so things may be all right in the end. Some lace manages to stick.

Even though IBC describes this brew as a Belgian-style amber ale, it smells like a Belgian dark ale. Some percentage of roasted malt (in addition to wheat and Munich) will do that. The nose is fruity and spicy and slightly phenolic and... enjoyable.

Cold Front does taste Belgian, so props for that. Trouble is, it doesn't come together as well as it could (partly as a result of the mouthfeel) and will probably miss out on a good score as a result. Let's see what the middle four ounces have to say for themselves.

Specifics include dark fruits, pumpernickel toast, black pepper and clove. There's a little too much Band-Aid phenolic character for this to be a keeper. Besides, the beer is too thin and too harshly bubbled to seep into the taste buds like it needs to in order to impress.

While the passage of time helps the mouthfeel to some extent, it never does rise above average; especially when compared to a real Belgian brew. Drinking it fresher might have helped, but then any 7.2% ale that can't last for two seasons beyond the release doesn't deserve high marks.

Ithaca Beer Company has given us some amazing ales (Ten and Old Habit come to mind). Cold Front didn't leave me chilly, but I never did really warm up to it either. Thanks to jwc215 for the bottle.

Pours a medium brown color with a smallish off white head that displays moderate retention and minimal lace. Smells of brown bread, dark sugars, licorice, and spicy Belgian yeast esters. Taste is sweet with brown sugar and caramel mixed with some dark dried fruits and anise. The yeasty phenols are strong with this one and for me a bit overpowering. I can tell if I'm picking up some spices in this or if its the earthiness of the hops deep in the background. Medium to thick body with a moderate level of carbonation and a thick sweet sugary mouthfeel. I tried but this one is just not for me.

Pours a deep amber mahogany brown hue with a large fine bubbled tan khaki head, forms fine scattered lacing. Aromatics offer up sharp fruity tart/sweet layers intertwined. A bit of floral/grassiness and malts/honey combined to form a very pleasant nose. Cherry earthiness with juicy raisin a bit of tart apple as well, call it a Belgian amber/dubbel it fits the mold. Maybe it's the yeast but this is complex as all hell, maybe a bit too sweet for my tastes but the spicy yeast/tart apples/juicy raisin sweetness with some earthy/herbal faint hops combines to create pure bliss. A really nice seasonal offering more beautiful beer coming out of Ithaca I love these guys. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, bottle says best by February I say forever. Seven percent not really hoppy, a bunch of Belgian yeast packing it's magic this will lay down for awhile. Carbonation is effervescent excellent use of Belgian yeast, really seems like a quality American brewed version. Drinkability I will be back, classic example of why Ithaca beers are a go to option, pure quality expressed with every beer I've had from them.

12 ounce bottle, with best before dating notched onto the side of the label. (the month is nice, but dont you really need a year as well, I never understand why this is so hard for brewers to understand...) Pours quite dark, porter like in fact. Darker tan head, frothy and long lasting, then a tiny bubble film and a full collar. The nose I'm picking up is of some chalky chocolate, vanilla and some mild ripe fruit. More light chocolate on the tongue, very ripe bananas, dusty, drying hops, perhaps a hint of the barnyard or funk that others have noted. Decent fall/cool weather quaffer. Quite dry in the finish.

Looks nice. Smells nice. A decent stab at the style. Won't go down as the greatest Belgian amber ever, but it's still coming off respectable. Could stand a bit more tweaking and smoothing around the edges, but it definitely works. Especially considering the style and how often it's mediocre at best.